Washington– The House voted Wednesday to repeal President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, a rare if largely symbolic rebuke of the White House’s agenda as Republicans joined with Democrats over the objections of GOP leadership.
This tally, 219 to 211, was among the first times the Republican-controlled House of Representatives confronted the president over the signature policy. The resolution seeks to end the national emergency Trump declared to impose the tariffs, although actually reversing the policy would require support from Trump himself, which is highly unlikely. The decision then moves to the Senate.
Trump believes in the power of tariffs to force US trading partners to the negotiating table. But lawmakers face turmoil back home from companies stuck in trade wars and voters navigating pocketbook issues and rising prices.
He added, “Today’s vote is very simple: Will you vote to lower the cost of living for the American family or will you keep prices high out of loyalty to one person – Donald Trump?” said Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who authored the resolution.
The high-stakes moment provides a snapshot of the House’s unease with the president’s direction, especially ahead of midterm elections when economic issues resonate among voters. The Senate has already voted to reject the tariffs that Trump imposed on Canada and other countries in an expression of dissatisfaction. But both chambers would have to agree to roll back the tariffs, sending the resolution to Trump for the president’s signature — or veto.
Trump recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada over that country’s proposed China trade deal, intensifying a dispute with longtime US ally and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Republican Party defections forced the vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent this confrontation.
Johnson insisted that lawmakers wait for a pending Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit over the tariffs. He designed a complex rule change to prevent ground movement. But Johnson’s strategy collapsed late Tuesday, with Republicans split during a procedural vote to ensure the success of the Democratic measure.
Johnson, Republican of Los Angeles, said the president’s “trade policies have been of great benefit.” “And I think the feeling is that we’re allowing more runway to work this out between the executive branch and the judiciary.”
Late Tuesday evening, Johnson was seen speaking to holdout Republican lawmakers as the GOP leadership team struggled to shore up support during a lengthy procedural vote, but the numbers lined up against him.
“We are disappointed in what people have done,” Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House on Wednesday morning. “The President will make sure his tariffs are not eliminated.”
Ending the state of emergency declared by Trump
The resolution submitted by Meeks would end the national emergency that Trump declared a year ago as one of his executive orders.
The administration claimed that the flow of illicit drugs from Canada posed an extraordinary and extraordinary threat that would allow the president to impose tariffs on imported goods outside the terms of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, said the flow of fentanyl into the United States represents a dire national emergency and the policy should be left in place.
“Let’s be clear again about what this decision is and what it is not. It’s not a debate about tariffs. You can talk about that, but that’s not really the case,” Mast said. “This is Democrats trying to ignore the existence of the fentanyl crisis.”
Experts say fentanyl produced by cartels in Mexico is largely smuggled into the United States from land crossings in California and Arizona. Fentanyl is also manufactured in Canada and smuggled into the United States, but to a much lesser extent.
Torn between Trump and tariffs
Ahead of the vote, some Republican lawmakers expressed unease about the options ahead, with Democrats — and a few Republican turncoats — stressing to their colleagues the need to flex their power as a legislative branch rather than cede too much power to the president to assume authority over trade and tariff policy.
Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, said he was not convinced by Johnson’s call to wait until the Supreme Court makes its decision on the legality of Trump’s tariffs.
“Why doesn’t Congress stand on its feet and say we are an independent branch?” he asked. Bacon said. “We have to defend our powers. I hope the Supreme Court will do that, but if we don’t, shame on us.”
Bacon, who is retiring rather than face re-election, also claimed that tariffs represented bad economic policy.
Other Republicans said they were still deciding after reversing Johnson’s gambit — which would have paused calendar days to prevent the measure from moving forward.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to have to support our president,” said Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he doesn’t want to tie the president’s hands on trade and is willing to support tariffs on Canada “at this time.”
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Associated Press writer Seung-Min Kim contributed to this report.
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